Elevator Speech

What is youth development? I still find myself choking up when someone asks me this question. However, after taking the intro class and really diving into the meaning of YDEV this semester, I feel I have a much better handle on how to talk about YDEV and what we do.
Youth development is the study of collaborating with youth and consists of work involving youth in various areas. Some of these areas include leading with, care, purposeful play, and social justice, which are also known as the anchors of youth development. As a youth development major, I will advocate with youth and help them have a voice of their own. I will help them have a sense of community and how to build that community. Additionally, there are three ideologies of youth development; they are risk and resiliency, positive youth development, and critical youth development As a youth worker, I feel as though I express positive youth development because I enjoy the ideas of a positive supportive environment along with positive reinforcement. Youth development workers and spaces really put focus on the youth they are working with and instead of teaching them, it feels like you are all learning together.